


A Thorn Among The Flowers

by Noctisistrash



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-19
Updated: 2016-10-07
Packaged: 2018-08-09 20:32:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7816180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noctisistrash/pseuds/Noctisistrash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Keith and Shiro hadn't met in the Garrison?</p><p>"The atmosphere stiffened as the paladins glumly recalled how Voltron had only one successful formation, and had failed ever since. The other paladins would never say it aloud, but they all knew Shiro and Keith’s feuds were at fault.</p><p>Shiro was a natural-born leader, and Keith was a natural-born rebel. He didn’t listen to anyone for anything, which caused him to drop out of the Garrison before he had finished. He only did things his way, and refused to put himself under anyone’s ruling. This could be a good trait to have if it was used in certain instances, but unfortunately it only prevented Keith from respecting Shiro as the leader."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Go to Your Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kind of an intro

“Maybe, if you’d listen for once!”

“I’d rather drown myself in this slop we eat.”

“Oh come _on_ , you can’t really mean-”

“I do! What makes you such a leader, anyway? It’s not like you’re the best pilot.”

“Keith, knock it off!” The princess finally snapped to the right of her.

Both boys were standing, and had been shouting at each other for a good 10 minutes without break, now. They continued to glare at one another, fists clenched with rage and eyes on fire.

Shiro ran his fingers through his hair and appeared to be trying to calm down. He closed his eyes and sat back down. Everyone’s eyes were now on him. Keith, however, was still standing, his face still pulled into a snarl and his eyes still boring holes into the older man.

“You two fight like an old married couple…” Lance dared to mutter, shifting in his chair and averting his eyes. The only fighting he liked was against the bad guys, and those fights were physical and for justice.

Keith’s glare shot to Lance. “Anyone who marries _him_ wouldn’t last long enough to _become_ old with him.”

“That’s enough, Keith.” Allura demanded. “If you can’t be civil during supper, then you are welcome to retire to your room for the evening.”

Keith made one final grimace, swept it over the table so everyone knew he wasn’t pleased, and heavily walked off to his room.

Allura’s look softened. “He’s just scared, I think. Don’t take it to heart, Shiro…”

Shiro was silent, staring steadily at the table just beyond his plate. “If he keeps this up, we’re going to continue to have difficulties forming Voltron…”

The atmosphere stiffened as the paladins glumly recalled how Voltron had only one successful formation, and had failed ever since. The other paladins would never say it aloud, but they all knew Shiro and Keith’s feuds were at fault.

Shiro was a natural-born leader, and Keith was a natural-born rebel. He didn’t listen to anyone for anything, which caused him to drop out of the Garrison before he had finished. He only did things his way, and refused to put himself under anyone’s ruling. This could be a good trait to have if it was used in certain instances, but unfortunately it only prevented Keith from respecting Shiro as the leader.

Shiro, who wanted the best for everyone and tried not to have any sort of bad blood regardless of who they were, steadily found himself disliking the red paladin. He didn’t want to, and certainly didn’t want to admit it, but as Keith pulled further and further away instead of closer, it irritated Shiro because he knew this is what prevented Voltron from forming. Shiro could not let Keith be the reason trillions of innocent lives were taken by the reining hand of Zarkon.

So when Shiro returned to his own room, he slammed his balled up fist into the wall. It didn’t hurt the wall, and he had used his robotic arm, but he was so frustrated. Keith had to, _had to_ start to listen. Shiro had tried everything. Friendliness, checking on him, offering help… all the things that one would think could ensue friendship or- in the least- _acquaintanceship_ in a formal sense. But Keith only turned a cold shoulder and spat at his friendliness.

Shiro couldn’t even describe Keith if he tried. He only saw a cold outer shell, determined but seemingly lacking of all humanity. Inside the shell, maybe, there was something more, but Shiro couldn’t crack it. And that’s what irked him. It boiled his blood and made his insides churn as though something wanted to crawl out and just smash the shell, inside and all in a yolk-y mess. Shiro wasn’t violent, but if anyone could drive him to it, it was probably Keith.

But…

There was a flicker of something.

Something about Keith’s hotheadedness, something about how he held his ground and didn’t budge… as much as it made Shiro see red, he couldn’t help but admire it. Shiro was strong and bold, but gentle. He held his ground, but had multiple weak spots where he knew he may be a hypocrite if the situation arose. He also knew that despite being a leader himself, he very easily fell into his place if someone declared _they_ were leader. Something he really admired was when someone stood for what they believed in, come hell or high water.

That’s not to say all things were admirable, as in, he would never admire Zarkon, but if there was a cause someone was going for, Shiro could respect them for affirming their position. And Keith was just like that. It was irritating, but Keith really did believe he should not sink below Shiro, and Shiro found that very attractive. He had never had to fight someone like this.

A thought made a sudden drop to Shiro’s crotch, and instinctively, he grabbed at it and squeezed lightly. A very subtle, very brief noise escaped his throat, and he gripped at the wall with his other hand. He would periodically forget primal instincts due to having more urgent matters to attend to. Be it school, training, and now the entire responsibility of the damn universe, Shiro had more important things to worry about.

But Mother Nature waits for no man, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to halt Shiro’s reproductive urges just because he wasn’t paying attention to them. It’s not as though Shiro didn’t know them, however. Shiro knew he was gay, and he knew what he liked. He didn’t, however, do much experimentation. Back on earth, a 25 year old with no sexual experience was thought to be a total dork that couldn’t get laid if they tried. Boy, was that not the case with Shiro.

Shiro was _very_ attractive, and everyone in the Garrison was well aware. He could bat an eye, and forty different individuals would quite literally be willing to line up just to sleep a night with Shiro. But Shiro wasn’t like that. And again, school came first. So there was no issue with putting it aside for so long. But there was no Keith back then.

That rebellious little shit, as much as he made Shiro want to throttle him, goddamn turned him on with his outcast fuck-everyone personality and his smaller, lean figure. And it pissed him off beyond belief, but there was no denying it when that boiling blood rushed to one place in particular when he thinks too hard about how Keith looks when he spars the training droid.

Shiro dared himself to press the heel of his hand into his crotch again, just for shits and giggles. The same reaction as the previous, but a little more intensely this time, rose from his chest and sent sparks running up and down the shaft of his member. He cursed under his breath, well aware it was the damned red paladin flickering in his mind. His curiosity was a runaway train, taking liberty to imagine Keith in _finally_ submissive situations, but not in ones he ever expected to want him in.

He repeated this motion several more times before Shiro got a hold of himself and forced himself to accept what he was doing, that he was masturbating to the very kid he sought to not let get away with disobeying. And that this disobedience was the very thing turning him on in a very physical sense he could not seem to drive out of his mind. Shiro noticed his hands were slightly shaking, and he felt the almost longing in his chest to continue rubbing himself and thinking of the younger boy. He whined lightly, fighting himself and pushing off the wall to go to bed.

-

Keith hadn’t been able to eat much of his dinner before he left, so he sat in silence, looking at the ceiling, and listening to his stomach complain. His brow was furrowed, and he was thinking. It wasn’t as though he wanted Voltron to be unsuccessful. It wasn’t even his fucking fault. _Maybe_ , if Shiro accepted he wasn’t the fucking _leader_ , and accept it was a _group_ effort, they wouldn’t be having _trouble_.

Keith did not blame himself an ounce for Voltron’s difficulties. He sensed the tension building in Shiro with him; he knew that Shiro was growing to dislike him. Keith let him. It didn’t matter if they didn’t like each other; they had a job to do. What mattered were the citizens of the planets the Galrans were taking over.

In fact, why was everyone out to get him, anyway? Every damn paladin gave him a cold or worried stare, as though he was an injured coyote that could bite, but they still pitied it. What did they want? It wasn’t like he was any better or worse than them. He didn’t care if they got along, but it wasn’t fair that everyone liked Shiro and seemed to be on his side. Even the princess, who was supposed to be neutral, clearly reprimanded Keith and did nothing about Shiro. It may have been the fact Keith bad mouthed more than reasoned, but it still didn’t make it fair.

But see, everyone liked Shiro. Even Keith. Keith felt his eyes water with hot, angry tears. Shiro was a likeable guy. He was attractive, kind, strong, and a leader. Keith was the weird coyote _thing_ that everyone was too scared to even get close to, because they thought he must be this cruel, unpredictable, outcast bastard that couldn’t be trusted.

Well that wasn’t the case, alright? They didn’t know Keith anyway. And Shiro was no exception. Maybe the worst of them, in fact. Shiro’s desperate attempts at getting Keith to bend over and just take it would only make Keith lock his knees in place. He wasn’t a dog; he didn’t have to just obey to what everyone said. And again, this was Voltron. Clearly, without everyone’s partake, Voltron couldn’t form. Thus proving if it weren’t a group effort there wouldn’t be a problem. It didn’t have to deal with Shiro’s “leadership ability” at all.

Keith had never had any friends, throughout his life. He picked fights when he was little, and as he grew up, people just remembered him as the scrawny brat who could and would fight back. It kept bullies away, but it kept everyone else away, too. Keith dealt with being an orphan just fine. But with everyone looking down on him as if he was a blemish, it taught him that if that’s all he was, that’s all he’d ever be in anyone’s eyes.

So he was used to people like Shiro. He had met Shiro previously, in teachers, peers, and any adult who thought he ought to respect them for simply _being_. He hated that trait- the drive that people had to make him bend to their will. It was only natural, but Keith wished he could find someone like Shiro who _didn’t_ try and make him change, but instead simply accepted and worked with it. Shiro was no different. He had the same fighting spirit, but still obedient enough that if Allura told him to jump, he’d ask how high.

Keith tried to wipe his tears away. Shiro wasn’t worth them. Shiro wasn’t worth his time, even. But this asshole had wormed his way into Keith’s brain and rooted, instead of easily being brushed aside. That was the issue- all the teachers and jocks and officers who tried to make Keith break weren’t Shiro. Shiro was different in the sense of he was a constant and he _wouldn’t give up_. It was a real pain in the ass.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave comments and kudos to inspire me to update quickly :3c


	2. Some Weird Voltron Connection Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith's words, not mine.
> 
> Keith's up late in the training room and, oh great- Shiro's trying to be the bigger person again.

Keith was in the training room at one of his odd hours, again. He specifically liked odd hours because he never had to worry about overlap, nor anyone walking in and demanding the training room. It was quiet and everyone was doing their own thing during the times he chose. Sometimes, those times were quite literally three in the morning.

So when the noise of the door disrupted his training, it gave the training droid the window to knock Keith clean off his feet. Keith nearly did a back flip, but twisted himself around and skidded to a stop, both feet and a single hand planted on the ground to catch himself as he lurched forward.

“Relax, it’s just me,” a gentle voice owned by none other than Shiro called.

“That’s supposed to _relax_ me?” Keith grumbled through breaths.

Shiro made eye contact with Keith for a moment, and then sighed. “Look, Keith. I- I don’t want things to be tense between us. I’m not trying to be your enemy, or your father, I’m just-”

“Well then quit being exactly that,” Keith huffed, already scowling.

Shiro’s expression looked almost hurt, but was still calm and gentle. “Please don’t think I come off as hostile… I want the best for everyone, and I know you do too. We just go about it different ways and I think that leads to some pretty tricky disagreements…”

Keith wiped his cheek of sweat and straightened himself up.

Shiro gave a small smile. “I think we can still connect, you and I, but I think we need to go about it differently than we have been.”

“Bickering every damn day and night?” Keith replied, placing his hand on his hip and shifting his weight.

“….right,” Shiro sighed. “I was wondering if you’d like to spar with someone who can think for himself, rather than a machine with the same three settings…?”

Keith huffed (though it might have simply been just a heavy exhale). “Alright, yeah, I’ll spar with you.” He said, looking to the far wall.

Shiro moved himself into stance, and Keith did the same, sliding his sword away from him. “You’re not going to use your arm, are you?” Keith asked almost warily.

“Of course not,” Shiro reassured, glancing at his arm as though silently telling it not to activate.

“Good,” Keith muttered, before suddenly rushing Shiro.

Shiro grabbed Keith’s arm above his elbow and used the weight he had thrown forward to spin Keith around and send him flying past him. Keith teetered, but quickly caught himself and threw another punch, which was almost caught by Shiro’s fist, but landed square on his beautiful cheekbone.

Shiro’s face knocked to the side, but he regained ability and grabbed a kick coming to his left and spun Keith to the ground. Keith scrambled to get up, but Shiro was already straddling him and attempting to hold his arms down, parallel to his head. Keith shot his leg up and kneed Shiro in the groin, then sliding all the way underneath him and kicking him over.

Shiro planted both arms down and swung his leg, tripping Keith and bringing him back to the mat, face first. Keith tasted the sweaty mat and lifted up slightly, thinking of how to get Shiro back. Shiro was heaving himself up, so Keith did the same. This time, he waited for Shiro. An almost 30 seconds past before Shiro actually took him up on the offer to go first and lunged for his waist.

Keith hopped backwards light-footedly, and Shiro only grabbed him by his fingertips, instead of wrapping his arms around his waist and toppling him over as he had planned. So now, Shiro was simply hanging off Keith’s waist. Keith laughed lightly and tucked some hair behind his ear, looking down at the awkward mass trying to recalculate from his new location.

Shiro was taking too long, and so Keith kneed Shiro in the stomach and kicked him off his legs. Shiro was sent rolling backwards, and Keith ran to the right side and last-minute literally smacked Shiro upside the head so he didn’t have a quick hoist back up.

Shiro ran his thumb along his jaw, disliking the idea of Keith having the upper hand. He jumped back up and swung his arm to Keith’s side, knocking the younger to the far left before he regained balance. Before he did, Shiro kicked him in the lower stomach, a force strong enough that Keith let out an audible “oof” as it landed.

Keith cradled his stomach for a minute, eyes widening at the distinct taste of iron-filled blood in his mouth. He swallowed nervously and ran forward at Shiro, not caring about form and just grabbing at the black paladin’s neck with claw-shaped fingers. It took Shiro by surprise, and they both fell backwards to the floor.

Shiro, in reply, was no more graceful. He shoved both hands into Keith’s face, instinctively just trying to detach the nails digging into his neck. He kicked upward, and Keith was adjusting himself in front of Shiro’s legs so they didn’t affect his position. Shiro grunted and pulled his arm out to roughly hit Keith in the side of his face.

A course of red interrupted Keith’s eyesight, and he dug his nails deeper before lifting and then hitting the back of Shiro’s head off the floor. Shiro groaned in irritation and pain, moving his hand to push on Keith’s chest.

Keith let go of Shiro’s throat and began tearing at his arms, but Shiro pushed too hard on his left side and they switched positions. Keith felt a growl-like noise gurgle from his throat and he pushed upward now, trying to keep the mass that was Shiro off of him. Shiro was tugging at his shirt collar and pulling, nearly choking him from behind because of the balled up fabric in his fist.

Keith, instead of pushing now, suddenly pulled down and strongly _bit_ Shiro in the collarbone. Shiro let out a grunt that neither of them was sure the emotion of, pain or pleasure, but it earned a brain-rattling head butt from Shiro when Keith accidentally slipped and let go (not without a raking of teeth on flesh, however). Keith tried to shake his dizziness, clenching his fists and hitting anywhere on Shiro’s face as hard as he could.

“Stop it,” Shiro suddenly growled, flipping his hands and shoving them under Keith’s back and waist, picking the smaller framed kid up and literally roughly tossing him away. Keith landed painfully, and Shiro stood up straight, breathing heavily. Keith dizzily began to get up, but Shiro was already walking towards him.

He grabbed Keith by the shoulders with strong arms, noticing the flicker of fear in Keith’s eyes as he shoved them backward so Keith’s back collided painfully with the wall. Keith took a minute to recover, but thankfully Shiro had hesitated.

“WHAT’S YOUR FUCKING _PROBLEM_?!” Keith snarled, stepping forward and shoving at Shiro’s shoulders, causing him to take a step back.

Shiro regained himself and shoved Keith back against the wall with ease. “ _YOUR_ INABILITY TO BE DISIPLINED,” Shiro roared back, his veins on fire and adrenaline pounding blood in his ears.

“WELL THEN MAYBE YOU’RE JUST A _SUCKY_ DISIPLINARIAN,” Keith retorted, glaring up at Shiro with pure rage.

Shiro got up in Keith’s face and did as he originally planned. He pinned Keith to the wall with his entire body, knowing it only worked simply by the difference in size and weight. But this wasn’t training anymore. Shiro’s entire torso was against Keith’s, and until Shiro let up, Keith wouldn’t be able to get out.

The two were panting in each other’s faces, eyes locked and looking ready to slaughter the man in front of them. They were only an inch or two apart from each other’s nose, still silently trying to assert dominance by glaring alone.

Shiro suddenly closed the gap and powerfully locked his mouth with Keith’s, and Keith’s arms immediately raked through Shiro’s hair, pulling at the back but not breaking the contact. Shiro’s arms rose and pushed Keith’s face forward, holding his head firmly in place. Just as Keith’s tongue found the opening to Shiro’s mouth, Shiro pulled his face slightly back.

“…Why do you have a boner?” Shiro said almost gently, but with a rather cunning twinkle in his eye.

“Why do _you_ have a boner?” Keith spat back, not losing the edge from his voice, but in a much lower and almost calmer tone.

Sure enough, the fact Shiro was pressed against Keith’s body no longer hid the fact both of them were hard and had been for at minimum a few minutes. They both paused to fully register the fact, and Keith suddenly couldn’t resist the urge to grind his hips forward, knowing Shiro’s weight would do most of the work.

Shiro gave a sweet noise of pleasure in reply, grinding back and pushing them into another kiss. Keith crooned and panted against Shiro, tracing his hands along his broad shoulders and down his back. One hand dared to squeeze Shiro’s butt and then run down his thigh and back up his torso, receiving a strong hip thrust in reply.

Shiro broke the series of kisses again, looking at Keith’s eyes and finding them less hostile than they had been only a minute before. Keith was quite limp at the moment, and Shiro was probably the main thing holding him up against the wall. A shudder of worry for Keith’s physical health coursed through his body, and he kissed Keith again, and then again, before backing off him, but holding onto his wrists for support.

“That’s pretty,” Keith cooed with a sarcastic smirk, brushing his fingers along the cheekbone he had nailed. The blood vessels were beginning to blossom under Shiro’s skin, causing galaxies of yellow, purple, and green to form on top.

Shiro lightly touched the area too, realizing they probably really did do a number on each other. He then noticed Keith’s right eye socket was darker than the other. Shiro didn’t have much doubt _his_ body could take it, but despite being just as beaten, Keith’s body was smaller, and biologically would not be pleased with such heavy blows, regardless of how Keith fought back.

“I’m going to take you back to your room,” Shiro said, chewing on his lip and finding it was cut and swelling as well.

Keith nodded, closing his eyes, and did not resist as Shiro lifted him in his arms and began to carry him off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *angry twelve year old voice* No, why do YOU have a boner???
> 
> Leave comments and kudos to inspire me to update quickly :3c


	3. Lewd Figure of Speech

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damn it Keith

“Keith, you’re not going to make it through there,” Shiro’s voice came over the intercom, and Keith glanced up to see the forever-stern black paladin’s face on the screen.

“Yes, I will.”

“No, you won’t! What the hell do you think this proves? It’s just an asteroid belt. Veer upward and you’ll miss it entirely. Like, oh, _the rest of us_ did?!”

“Can it! I want to see just how well Red can maneuver, and this is my chance!”

“Keith, you’re going to crush your lion. Those asteroids will knock you right out of the way and send you careening into space! The lion’s weight distribution isn’t meant for that!”

“I’m going to make it through, and you can Suck. My. Dick.” Keith snapped back, thrusting his lion into gear and preparing to dive right in.

“Alright,”

“..What?”

“You make it through, and I’ll suck your dick.” Shiro sneered, feeling a little jittery because this was not at all his game.

 “You’re on!” Keith shouted excitedly back, shooting his lion into the belt.

He narrowly missed a rock entering, but now that the rocks were in all directions, it was like a video game. Hit the rock, and game over. So he began using the rocks to push himself forward, bouncing off them like a mountain lion might do on a rocky ledge. He got hit with the smaller ones four times, grunting in distaste with each nasty ‘clunk’, but he did in fact make it through. He was impressed with himself.

“HA! I FUCKING TOLD YOU, SHIRO,” he cheered over the intercom.

The paladins cheered and congratulated, and Shiro sat back in his chair and smirked. He had to admit, he was pretty taken aback, and a little proud.

They returned to the castle, and Keith stretched as he walked toward the doors. “Guess who’s got to suck my dick?” He hissed in an oddly playful tone at Shiro.

“Alright, drop your pants,” Shiro teased.

Keith surprisingly flushed. “H-hey, not here! It’s not a social activity,” he growled. “I’ll meet you in my room in ten- I’ve gotta shower.”

Shiro smiled and nodded, and Keith walked off.

“In a way, this is Keith making you follow _him,”_ Allura said gently, coming up behind Shiro.

“I know,” Shiro said. “But this is him feeling his way around, I think. I think that he really would never succumb to someone who would have total rein over him. Maybe if I can get him to see we’re equals…”

Allura frowned. “That’s a good thought, but… I don’t want it to go to his head, or he’ll think he can get away with things like this all the time. What he did back there had good cause, but was in fact reckless and he could have gotten himself seriously injured.”

“I knew he would make it.”

“And what if he hadn’t? What would you have done? Even when we chased after and got him back, it would still have been your responsibility. You let him be careless and get hurt.” Allura sighed and placed her hand gently on Shiro’s shoulder. “He _has_ to learn that.”

“For Voltron…”

“Not just for Voltron; for himself, as well. Even as separates, you need to look out for one another. Keith in particular, because I fear his rashness, though he is protective of you all, could get him in trouble if he goes boldly and doesn’t think about what he’s doing.”

-

Keith hadn’t meant anything demeaning when he made that comment. He actually felt terrible as it spilled from his mouth, especially because he had said it to Shiro. Not only was that really uncalled for, but now Shiro thought Keith saw him as lesser. That wasn’t the case, and it wasn’t like Keith expected Shiro to _actually_ take him up on it.

Keith’s face heated up, realizing Shiro had been quite serious, and had never made a false promise. He almost wanted to go out and explain to Shiro it was a joke and was only meant to be a figure of speech, that Shiro should not underestimate him, not that Shiro should _actually_ give him a blowjob.

That is to say… Shiro would never want Keith otherwise. Keith was a disgusting individual, inside and out, and Shiro was too kind and gentle and great of a human being to want to do anything to Keith outside a business trade. And that’s all this was to Shiro. Keith did as he was expected, and now Shiro would pay. Nothing more.

And yet, Keith felt selfishness build in the back of his mind. He could go with it and let Shiro do it, because he was willing, and that would be the closest Keith could get to the older boy. He wouldn’t ever do this again, it was a onetime thing. Shiro would get it over with, survive, and both of them would never speak of it again. Hopefully Shiro could wash his mouth and forget it ever happened.

Keith had something of a growing crush on the black paladin. He hated it, because this was the very man he was fighting tooth and nail to keep from bowing down to. But Shiro was gorgeous, and kind, and put others before him. He was something Keith wished he could say for himself, and that was the qualities Keith could say he looked for.

Keith was not ever actively into relationships. Turns out, scaring everyone off made you really undesirable. Nobody would want to be his friend, and certainly were not interested in him past his looks. Even then, it was easy to surpass him because of his personality. They’d think, “He’s really pretty, but he’s kind of an asshole and fights people with a knife”. So basically, he was the complete and utter opposite to Shiro.

He felt an excited shiver run down his back at the thought of Shiro in a very different situation, where they were both very eager and willing on the task at hand.

-

Shiro was flustered beyond belief. He wasn’t good with this sort of thing. He could be strong in a commanding officer’s eyes, he could be strong in his teammates’ eyes, and he could even be strong in a _Galran’s_ eyes. But when it came to anything beyond brunt and brute, he was a steaming bowl of mashed potatoes. The difference being, mashed potatoes are delicious and could very easily coax anyone to give them a taste. Maybe Shiro was more like lighter fluid. _Drink me, and you’ll really regret it on so many levels._

Shiro was pacing around his room, trying to decide on whether to be punctual or not. This was way more casual than he was used to being, and he was very nervous. He had never done this before, what was he doing! Keith was probably happy as a lark and going to be totally cool with this, making a “haha I did it, and this is what you get,” face…

 _Alright, who’s the one getting the blowjob here?_ He inwardly hissed as he focused a little too excitedly on that face Keith was making in his imagination.

It was now exactly ten minutes since Keith said ten minutes, but this was a very casual affair and being punctual wouldn’t be right, _right_ …? Or maybe, he meant be punctual. And maybe, if he waited, Keith would get bored and do something else. It’s not like Shiro was actively trying to suck Keith off….! I mean, it was just a heat-of-the-moment bet, and Keith had won! This wasn’t something to enjoy, so Shiro should just buckle down and not think into the situation.

If it wasn’t Keith, this bet would not be so hard to fulfill.

Shiro knocked three times, gently. He paused for a minute and thought about knocking harder when the door opened.

Keith was really cute.

He was in his black shirt and grey sweatpants, his hair was a little tussled (and up?? Holy shit), and his hand was on his hip. Shiro had never seen him outside his paladin armor or regular going-out clothes, so this was very new and surprising. Keith almost looked a little aggravated, but then he huffed and straightened himself up (so he looked a little less like the girl next door, now) and his face softened.

“Sorry, I was just really gross earlier.”

“No, no, you’re fine! Now I’m thinking maybe I should’ve showered too…” Shiro laughed nervously.

“You’re alright, you don’t smell or even look any worse than when you woke up this morning, you lucky bastard,” Keith threw a jeering smile over his shoulder as he turned to go back into the room. “Come on in.”

Shiro followed, looking around Keith’s room briefly. It was a little out of place, but not exactly messy. The bed wasn’t made, but otherwise nothing was really delinquent-seeming. Not in Shiro’s opinion, anyway. But he never really knew how a delinquent was supposed to look or behave.

“Um,” Keith began, looking around the floor as though he needed something.

“I’ve never really done this before,” Shiro half-blurted out.

Keith tried, but could not prevent the smile that spread across his lips. “That’s ok, neither have I.”

Shiro averted his eyes because _damn it, stop it, this is literally what he was_ not _supposed to do._ Was Keith toying with him? Was this some elaborate manipulation where Keith knew how to play Shiro like a harp and this… whatever _this_ was is how he did it? He hated to think it, but it had very good grounds for being true.

It didn’t matter. Shiro had already determined this was a trade, and there would be no excess feelings. He would get it done, and they would proceed as teammates. Ah jeez, Keith was just staring at him blankly with big dark eyes.

Shiro softly cleared his throat. “Ok, um, you can… well I figure you want to go against the wall…?”

Keith nodded and walked briskly to the wall, turned around and leaned against it, and lowered the rim of his pants so his underwear was seen (funnily enough, it was red). He hiked his pants so they cradled his entire package. He looked back over at Shiro.

Shiro was hoping he wasn’t as red as Keith’s boxers already. He really didn’t know what he was doing, why did he make this bet? That was such a _Keith_ thing of him to do. Shiro was not used to feeling insecure. And now, seeing not an ounce of fear in Keith’s face showed Shiro he really was the inexperienced one who looked like an idiot.

Shiro didn’t know, however, is Keith really didn’t have any shame as it was. It’s not as though he’d flaunt it, but Keith never had been awkward about his body, and probably wouldn’t be too bothered if someone accidentally saw him changing. He never saw a reason to be scared, because it wasn’t as though everyone had something different and weird from the next guy, and it wasn’t as though he had something to hide. He just was what he was.

Shiro tried to rid himself of anxiety with a shake of his head, and walked over to where Keith was on the wall. Keith had not broken eye contact, and Shiro cursed internally, as he really was making a very dominant and attractive face at the moment. Shiro got up close to Keith’s face, looking down into it due to mild height difference.

Keith was eyeing Shiro’s lips, and was remembering a little number that occurred back when they had sparred a few weeks ago. He should not kiss those lips, those lips are not his. That was just a sudden thing that neither of them were prepared for and it just… it happened. It was a weird thing after training, and it probably had to do with some weird Voltron connection thing neither of them could quite fathom. It didn’t mean anything, no matter it felt so _fucking_ _good_.

Keith swallowed and blinked, looking back into Shiro’s eyes. Shiro was looking right at him, and then began to slowly lower, preparing to kneel. Keith’s heart skipped two beats and he felt his eyes widen for a second at the sudden reaffirmation of where he was and what was happening. It was like the sudden shock on your taste buds of a strong mint gum after not having eaten anything in a while.

Shiro threw all caution out the window, and gently pressed his lips and nose into Keith’s crotch. Keith practically purred and almost involuntarily wound his fingers through Shiro’s hair as butterflies filled his stomach. Shiro smiled at the reaction and gently kissed through the fabric.

“You better make this worth risking my life,” Keith murmured, the butterflies sending pleasant shivers through his body.

“You did that on your own,” came Shiro’s muffled reply as he removed his lips and took Keith’s member out.

Shiro thought for a minute about what he was doing. It’s not as though he was totally blind going into this, he did have some ideas of what was good under his belt (pardon the pun), but it was still something he had to think about. He salivated a little bit before opening his mouth and slowly licking down the shaft, earning a squeak of appreciation from the owner.

Keith ran his fingers through Shiro’s hair, starting from the base of the white tuft and tugging lightly when he got to the back. He had closed his eyes with the first lick, but could feel Shiro getting more adventurous and taking the tip into his mouth. He also felt as noises bubbled from his throat, desperately holding his hips back from shoving his entire dick into Shiro’s mouth with one thrust.

Shiro made a low noise in his chest when he had closed his mouth farther up around Keith, and it sent vibrations dancing between them. Keith gasped suddenly, clenching onto Shiro’s hair and not letting go. Shiro tried not to laugh, and also hoped that the noise had not totally given him away that he was enjoying this.

He couldn’t let Keith know the noises he was making was cute beyond all compare, and he couldn’t let him know that he had no problem doing this, because then Keith really would take advantage of him, thinking if he could get his leader to do this sort of thing, he could get him to do anything. Which unfortunately was terribly true, because Shiro was a people pleaser and Keith was clearly a person he could not easily keep himself in check around.

Shiro had one hand holding Keith’s dick, and the other holding his thigh. He let his hand run down Keith’s thigh before half-pulling Keith forward, half-pushing himself forward, sliding Keith’s cock down his throat with only a slight choking sound as it slid down.

Keith gasped louder this time, and Shiro hung on for a good couple of seconds before pulling back so he didn’t completely choke. When he began to unclamp his mouth from Keith, a whole mess of cum dribbled out as well.

“Oh, shit...” Keith muttered dreamily, his hand shakily rising and running through his own hair.

Shiro licked some of it up, and then wiped the rest off his mouth with his hand. He impulsively kissed Keith’s stomach, stood up, and then kissed his lips. He smiled lightly, then turned on his heel and walked right out the door.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave comments and kudos to inspire me to update quickly :3c


	4. Can't Sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith's being emo(tional) again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's genuinely cute ok?? I can't write Sheith being angry at each other, not even in my own AU

It was very, very late, and Keith hadn’t even dozed. He wasn’t too hot, he wasn’t too cold; he just _wasn’t_ tired. It’s not as though he hadn’t trained, and he had certainly been social, but something kept the light on in his mind, and thus he lie wide awake, staring at the ceiling and waiting for sleep that wasn’t coming.

And what’s worse, his mind kept wandering to Shiro. That day, they had a physical fight. Keith had thrown a punch, Shiro blocked, and they threw to the ground and wrestled around until Shiro hit him hard enough and pushed away. Keith remembered how he had then gone after Shiro again, and Shiro continuously trying to get Keith to just back off.

Keith’s eyes pricked with what must have been tears. He must really seem like the idiot delinquent, pushing around their poor, brave leader that had just come back from not only Kerberos, but being captured by Galrans and tortured the hell out of. I mean, who wouldn’t take his side? Shiro was great. He was just a wonderful human being who could do no wrong. Keith, on the other hand, was known for his weirdness and his shadiness.

It’s not like he asked for a bad reputation, but if that’s what’s expected of you, why fight it? Shiro was beginning to look better and better every day Keith spent with the group. He knew they didn’t like him, but he found himself wanting them to. He wanted approval from the princess. He envied the other paladins when Shiro praised them individually.

Shiro didn’t do that to Keith.

And now, Keith was crying. This was pathetic. _He_ asked for this when he was little, and _he_ kept it up. _He_ started the fire under his and Shiro’s feet, and _he_ was the one who kept it kindled. Just as Shiro said, “I don’t want things to be tense between us.” So Shiro was the good guy, and Keith was the constant thorn in his side, digging deeper and deeper because he _had_ to come out on top. Because he had this fucking _necessity_ of not backing down.

Keith was torn. He didn’t want to seem weak and easily broken by finally giving in, but he wanted these people to like him. They seemed so friendly with each other, surely if he stopped coming off as cold and ignorant, they’d accept him as well? The way Shiro talked… he was nearly sure Shiro would probably defend him in a heartbeat if he finally decided to give in. But this was still a group effort. He in no way was saying that Shiro was his superior, because he wasn’t. Voltron needed five lions, and therefore every lion had to do their part.

Shiro was the beacon in the coarse sea that was Keith’s arrogance and hostility. Never in his life did he even slightly waver when someone demanded respect from him he didn’t think deserved it. But with Shiro, Shiro really was the one leader he felt deserved everyone’s respect, regardless of their ranking. But that would be going against his code, wouldn’t it? And then, where does the code start and stop? _Does_ it start and stop?

Shiro made Keith think in ways he really never thought before. He made Keith feel important and actually a part of something. He made Keith rationalize for others, to think for others almost through their eyes. He made Keith respect himself a little more. And he also made Keith begin to think of feelings he hadn’t paid attention to.

Just little ones, but there were points of time where Shiro would say something in a tone of voice that made Keith’s stomach flutter. The strength, the calmness and courage in his voice… and the knowledge that as big and as scary seeming as Shiro could be, Shiro genuinely fought for the greater good and wouldn’t kill a single Galran if he could figure a way to stop them without violence.

He was a heroic figure, if Keith ever saw one. And it excited him. It challenged him and drove him forward in ways he knew he couldn’t tell Shiro without finally admitting that he looked up to Shiro.

And there it was.

Keith hiccupped and wiped his face.

A life full of everyone looking down on you, you’re going to make sure you meet their eyes. But suddenly, someone who tries to see past that and you find yourself looking up, instead of trying to match them by fighting back.

Keith groaned softly, pitying everyone for putting up with him. He also knew he saw Shiro in more ways than just an idol. Shiro’s personality was something he wanted, _needed_ in his life, and he couldn’t deny Shiro physically, either.

What had happened in the training room was sudden and random, but Keith could still feel the aftershocks all the way until now. Shiro had _kissed_ him. It’d be one thing if they had just… what was that term… had ‘angry sex’? That would be one thing, but the fact that all they had done was made out against a wall…?  It couldn’t have been _nothing_ , could it…?

Keith must have been thinking into his memories a little more intensely than he had thought, because he was suddenly very aware between his legs. Without much thought, he slid his hand down his stomach and squeezed himself. Pleasant shivers circuited up his shoulders and he lolled his head to the side, breathing in deeply.

He stretched his fingers down and then slid them back up, daring to spread his legs just a little further apart. He then adjusted his hand and palmed close to the tip twice, feeling as his clothing became uncomfortable and tighter as his erection grew to full length.

He whined, feeling his voice crack lightly in his throat as the noise bubbled upwards. Shiro was something Keith could only imagine having, because in every way, he was better. If they could find a way, Voltron could easily drop Keith and everyone would happily continue to follow Shiro without a single stray care for Keith’s whereabouts.

But even in his head, the thought of Shiro being more caring and desiring of his affection excited Keith. Keith, as lonely as he knew he was, couldn’t help but play fantasies in his mind of Shiro, who would get full privilege to do whatever the hell he pleased to Keith. This could involve fucking, but it could also involve throwing him out of the ship and into the vacuum of space. Keith was beyond caring at this point.

A soft knock broke his thoughts and Keith’s senses hyper-focused on the fact his hand was entirely down his pants and mildly wet, now. He shot his hand up, wiped it on his boxers, and attempted to sit up as though he had been innocently reading a nonexistent book.

“W-what..?” He stammered louder and more aggressive than planned.  He hoped that gave the mystery voice the ‘ok’ to enter, regardless.

            The door slid open, and goddamn Shiro stepped quietly in. He must have been planning to stay, because he made sure the door closed behind him before turning around and greeting Keith officially.

Keith nodded, a mildly panicked, mildly annoyed look plastered on his face.

“I’m sorry to bother you; I just wanted to apologize for earlier…”

Keith blinked slowly. _He_ wanted to apologize?

“Don’t apologize, it-”

“No, really, it was stupid of me to even… I mean, I didn’t mean to keep pushing you like I was.”

“Shiro, you literally did nothing wrong. Quit being a pushover and taking the blame for everything.” Keith’s voice was stern, but sincere.

Shiro had been standing with his head slightly bowed, and had not been making eye contact. At Keith’s statement, his eyes widened and he looked up in surprise at Keith’s sharp tongue.

Keith exhaled loudly. “You’re supposed to be a leader, right? So you’ve got to know when you should take the blame, and when you can clearly acknowledge it wasn’t you. Allura keeps making us such a responsibility for you, as though we’re little kids and you’re this new foster father. It’s not fair, because we’re a team. You know that.”

Shiro nodded slightly, trying to process if he actually agreed.

“In this case, I’m the asshole. I threw the punch, and I’m the one who’s constantly picking the fights. Every time I do, you just try and end it quickly.”

Shiro’s cheeks dusted pink, because Keith was clearly complimenting him.

“…And that’s very mature and admirable of you. You’re someone anyone could trust with their lives, regardless of if they knew you or not. And I… I envy you for that.”

“Why are you telling me all of this…?”

“Because I need you to know this is how I feel, alright?”

“Keith…” Shiro said gently.

“Come on, Shiro. You all know what a huge dick I am. I need you to know that I’m… I’m not _trying_ to be a problem for Voltron, ok? I’m not _trying_ to get people to hate me, even though that’s all they seem to want to do….” Keith trailed off as his eyes welled up with tears again, and his voice caught in his throat.

Shiro glided swiftly over to the bed and gently held Keith’s shoulders as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

“Hey, hey, wait, no one hates you, Keith.” Shiro said, trying to look into Keith’s eyes.

Keith was trying to wipe his tears quickly, as though Shiro might not notice if he got them away fast enough.

“Keith, we just want you to be comfortable. Unfortunately, right now, they’re giving you space because they’re not sure how things are going between you and I.”

“Terrible,” Keith squeaked through a cry.

Shiro shook his head and lifted his right hand to cup Keith’s cheek so he looked at him.

“No, Keith. We’re getting through it. We’re doing well; you just don’t see it, yet. But I see it, and Allura sees it, and Coran sees it.” Shiro smiled and tried to get Keith to look at him again. “And Hunk sees it, and Pidge sees it…” Shiro scooted closer to Keith and took the risk to kiss Keith’s face. “And even Lance might see it.”

Keith giggled at that one. “Just a little bit.”

“Just a little bit,” Shiro’s grin widened, and he gave Keith more kisses.

Shiro was now leaning forward pretty far over, and didn’t have enough balance to keep himself upright, so he fell right into Keith’s lap. Keith laughed and Shiro took that as the opportunity to hastily and gracelessly crawl over Keith and flop down on him.

“What are you doing up so late, anyway?” Shiro inquired when he had settled.

“I can’t sleep,” Keith said distantly.

Shiro nodded. “Neither could I, actually.” He looked down and burrowed his face into Keith’s shirt. Keith rested his hand on the back of his head and sighed, probably pretty relieved to be done with crying, finally.

Shiro pushed himself up suddenly, and Keith found his first and foremost thought to be _please don’t leave_. Thankfully, Shiro was actually just adjusting himself. He met Keith’s forehead and looked into his eyes before pecking him on the nose and then pulling him down so they were both lying on their sides.

It wasn’t long until Keith’s head swam with haziness, and he slipped into peaceful and meaningless dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave comments and kudos to inspire me to update quickly :3c


	5. Replacement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They still can't form Voltron, and everyone's battling the excess stress fuming from Shiro and Keith unable to deal with each other. What's this going to mean for them as a team...?

It had been a rough week for everyone. Voltron still hadn’t been formed, and the lions were taking more and more beatings they alone were not suit to handle. Everyone was on everyone’s shit list, and could not be tolerated for more than 5 minutes. The paladins practically rolled out of their lions, everyone with an equally annoyed, hot, and tired expression across their face.

“Hunk, next time you want to bury a 20 meter green lion into the dirt, mind giving the pilot a memo?” Pidge had their arms slack, and tore off their helmet without much care.

“How was I supposed to know Lance was going to do a random nose dive?? I didn’t want to get hit, and was trying to dodge the-”

“I wouldn’t have had to nose dive if KEITH wasn’t trying to kill me!”

“Fuck off! I was nowhere near you when you fucking smashed into me! Red’s side proves it!”

“Guys, I swear to god, I have the biggest headache, and you’re arguments are _not_ helping…” Shiro grumbled as he massaged his temples.

They didn’t cease fire at each other, however, and began nitpicking everything about the others’ flying and how everyone was the reason Voltron was unsuccessful. Allura came out to greet this, and looked just as displeased as everyone else.

“Paladins, this isn’t going to work if you’re backtracking from being a team!” Her arms were folded, but she looked concerned despite her irritated and motherly face.

“We’re not backtracking from the team on purpose! We’re literally doing everything we can!” Pidge nearly shrieked back.

“Pidge, she’s not saying-”

“Shiro, I really don’t want to hear your mouth right now.”

“Keith, I’m just trying-”

“To help? Everyone’s trying _to help_ , Shiro. But as you can see, _help_ is something everyone also collectively _lacks_ , apparently.”

Shiro looked more exhausted and consoling compared to everyone else; his helmet being held on by the rim, and his hair unfixed. He didn’t look agitated, but instead simply concerned for everyone.

“Paladins!” The princess exclaimed, because everyone was once again raising their voices at each other, and no one had ceased fighting someone for even three seconds. “Look at what you’re doing! You’re unraveling everything you’ve been working for, and now you’re hardly even friends, let alone a team!”

Everyone fell silent and rested their eyes on the princess.

Allura’s expression softened. “I’m not sure…. No one is sure what the issue is, ok? But we need to-”

“Are you kidding? It’s Keith and Shiro!” Lance interjected.

“Lance, so help me I will-”

“Keith, get off of him!” Allura demanded a second before Shiro plodded over, yanked Lance away, and smacked Keith on the back of the head. Keith then turned around and landed a punch on the black paladin’s cheek.

Shiro’s hand went to his cheek before he threw one back, narrowly missing as Keith ducked and fell into Hunk, who instinctively caught him but then was rewarded with the missed punch that had continued to fly.

Shiro’s regret was brief because Keith had swung his leg out and kicked him in the groin, causing the black paladin to fall, but not without grabbing the front of Keith’s armor and tugging him down on top of him.

Keith aimed for Shiro’s neck with a hand, but it was smacked away and Shiro ripped off Keith’s helmet and half-accidentally stuck his thumb directly into Keith’s mouth as he shoved on his face. Keith immediately began biting Shiro’s thumb, only pissing the level-minded paladin off even more. He kicked into Keith’s gut just as the strong arm of the princess heaved Keith off of him and threw him to the side.

Keith skidded a ways before he stopped himself, looking immediately back at Shiro, fully prepared to engage again.

“I am going to lose it!” Allura yelled, indirectly at Shiro, who now looked like a puppy being scolded; his face full of shock and guilt.

“Shiro, please come with me,” Allura calmed her tone, but it was still full of frustration. She helped Shiro (surprisingly gracefully) up, and they walked into the castle as everyone else still gawked.

-

The paladins gathered into the main room, all of them accepting the welcoming cushions of the couch and flopping onto them in a tired and angry heap. They were too exhausted to bicker anymore, so they just grumbled to themselves and kept the not-so-peaceful silence. It wasn’t until Keith spoke did it break.

“I’m going to my room for the evening,” He muttered, getting up from the couch and walking off without waiting for a reply. Which was fine, because he only got a rolling of the head or two to look at him.

He was shuffling to his room before a searing anger rattled his bones again. They had once again chosen Shiro’s side. He gritted his teeth. It wasn’t fair. He wondered if he were leader, would it be different? He took a sharp turn and headed towards the training room instead. He couldn’t sleep with this in his stomach.

-

“…Despite struggling with forming Voltron and overall working together, you and the other paladins are still connected. This is why they’re so irritable- because they feel the stress and tension between you and Keith, and not only is it leaving a negative atmosphere, but also they quite literally can feel the stress you and him are dealing with.”

Shiro looked at the space between his hands in his lap.

“That’s all I needed to discuss with you,” Allura said gently. “You have to think of the good of the universe, and put personal matters aside if we are to defeat the Galran Empire.”

Shiro stood up, bowed slightly, and made his way to the door.

“That is what leaders must do, Shiro…”

Shiro paused, and then exited the room with a solemn face.

He made his way to the main room, and to his surprise found that most of the paladins were still out there, and awake. It was 12:31 am.

“Have you seen Keith?” Shiro asked, waking a few of them up in the process.

“He went to his room like, an hour ago,” Hunk provided, lifting his head slightly.

Shiro smiled faintly. “Thank you,” and he turned and walked towards the rooms.

Keith wasn’t in his room, however. Or, not anymore. Shiro knocked and then immediately let himself in, but it hadn’t changed since Keith had left it that morning. He pondered for a moment, but only for a moment, because it wasn’t a mystery where else the red paladin could be.

But Keith wasn’t in the training room, either. Shiro briefly worried, but was too tired to process anything more than _whatever, I’ll catch him tomorrow_ before retreating toward his own room. Shiro flipped on the light when he got there and blinked, debating on just sleeping in the clothes he had on and not bothering to change.

Before making a final decision, he fell onto his bed and laid there for a few seconds before a knock interrupted his inner debate.

“Come in,” he called, curious as to who needed him minutes after he had been at their disposal before.

It was Keith!

Shiro lifted his head and looked at him dumbfounded, wondering how they could have gotten past each other.

“What the fuck was that all about?!” Keith snapped immediately after the door had shut. He threw his arms out for extra emphasis, as though he couldn’t fabricate why Shiro had fought him. It was partially true, though.

Shiro sat himself up. “Me?! You threw the punch!”

“Because you yanked me away from my target!”

“You had no right to fight Lance, he-”

“It’s because of you this whole goddamn Voltron thing is a mess!”

“Excuse me?! You’re the one who can’t reason with authorities, you’re the one that continues to fight me and-”

“Oh _excuse me,_ Mr. Perfect! I forgot everyone should bow down and accept you as their new lord and savior!”

“Keith, I’m not asking anyone to-”

“Oh, but you are! Everyone just _loves_ you! They’d all beat the shit out of me if you batted those pretty little eyes of yours; they’d all fall mercy to your feet and do anything for you! They already do, so-”

“LET ME SPEAK,” Shiro growled.

“No! I’m tired of hearing _you_ talk!! Let _me_ speak, for once! I’m sick of your fucking mouth constantly telling me _I’m_ not good enough and how _I_ should be the one to change because _I’m_ the problem!!”

“You _are_ the problem!!”

“I’M NOT.”

“YOU _ARE_ , AND IF YOU DON’T GET YOUR FUCKING ASS IN GEAR, ALLURA’S GOING TO REPLACE YOU,” Shiro yelled finally, and then catching himself with a horrified look.

Keith’s face dropped. “… _What_ …?”

“Keith- fuck, I shouldn’t have said that, I- Keith wait,” Shiro pleaded.

Keith’s face turned cold. “No, I think you’ve _said_ enough.” Keith turned and left Shiro’s room.

Shiro sat for a moment, cursing himself, and then quickly got up to chase the younger paladin.

Keith had made it back to his room, and nearly flung himself to his bed. Allura was going to replace him? This was just fucking _perfect_.

“Keith,” Shiro panted, having literally ran to Keith’s room.

“Get out!” Keith barked, eyes wet.

“No, Keith, I’m sorry-”

“You’re not sorry! _You’re_ not _sorry!_ You just want to do what’s best for everyone, and Allura’s your fucking superior, and you’re a fucking _dog_ when it comes to superiors, so fuck yeah, you’re not sorry to obey her and replace me!!”

“Keith! I don’t want to replace you, ok?!”

“You don’t fucking get it! _You_ matter to **Voltron**. But _me?_ _Voltron_ matters to **me**. I _need_ Voltron, because if Allura replaces me, I get to go back to a small little house in the middle-of-nowhere desert. I get to go back to no friends, no family. I get to go back to nothing, and being nothing. I am _nothing_ without Voltron. Do you see it now?”

Shiro was at loss for words. He really had no idea, and it had never occurred to Shiro Keith really was alone in comparison to everyone else, who probably had a family they missed and in turn missed them. They volunteered to be a part of Voltron knowing this, but to Keith, Voltron was now his life, and what mattered most.

“I didn’t know….”

“Yeah, of course you didn’t know. I don’t exactly spout out what’s on my mind,” Keith huffed, shooting an icy glance before looking at the wall.

“Keith, listen-”

“Please don’t.” Keith said, looking at Shiro again through glassy eyes. “Please just go.”

Shiro looked at the floor briefly. “I’m not giving up on you,” Shiro murmured as he slipped out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP meaningless smut fanfic; you didn't think this fanfic wouldn't keep a legit story, did you?
> 
> Comments and kudos inspire me to update quickly :3c


	6. Everyone Except You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's this?! An additional two chapters instead of one great finale?! You're welcome.
> 
> Shiro begins to hone in on Keith's attitude towards him, and Keith realizes why he's been such a bitch to Shiro. Will these idiots ever work it out...? N-no wait, that's not what I meant! I said /work/ it out!!

Keith hadn’t come out all day, and Shiro knew he was at fault. It was now 6:33 the following evening, and not a single person (or mouse) had seen him leave his room. Meaning, he hadn’t eaten or showered, and might not have even gotten out of bed.

It was stressing the hell out of the black paladin, and if he even had to wait a minute for something, he found himself pacing, his mind constantly going back to Keith and the last thing he had said to him. He should have bit his tongue… Now Keith hated him more, and now he wasn’t talking to anyone. At least before, Shiro had a chance to work with him. This was only fueling Allura’s idea.

Shiro had knocked on Keith’s door multiple times, each time with no answer, and not even a noise indicating a sign of life. Coran explained that he could very easily shut down the lock for Keith’s door, but Shiro demanded he be left alone until he wanted to come out on his own. Plus, Shiro didn’t even know what he was going to say to Keith when he finally did come out.

It was up to Shiro now to prove Keith was still a fit paladin for the red lion, and he didn’t know how he was supposed to make this kid who hated his very existence finally accept himself into the team and-

That was it.

Shiro physically stopped pacing and his eyes widened. He knew what was wrong, and he knew why they couldn’t form Voltron. It wasn’t him, and it wasn’t even really Keith. Not directly, anyway. It was the fact Keith couldn’t accept himself into Voltron. He was having trouble knowing and giving himself the credit of being needed by everyone, and because he was rejecting everyone with these anxieties, he was proving himself right.

Shiro felt as though a stake drove through his heart. He was relieved he hadn’t given up on Keith, but… all this time, he had been blaming Keith for trying to be the rowdy little shit and ruining the chances of the ability to form Voltron, but in reality it had been everyone’s fault, including his own and Keith’s, not realizing the issue and pushing him further away, just as much as he had been pushing himself away.

So now the goal was to connect with Keith, to show him that they all needed him and valued him.

-

“Actually, Keith and I are pretty close, I’d say!” Hunk replied cheerfully. “He’s a wonderful listener, and loves the hell out of learning weird engineering stuff, even though he admits to not actually remembering much!”

“Wait, really?”

Hunk nodded, “Absolutely.”

“Alright then, thank you, Hunk,” Shiro said, smiling.

“Sure thing!”

~

Pidge hardly looked up from their work, which appeared to be messing with a ton of wires Shiro didn’t even want to know the source of. “Uh-uh, Keith’s really frickin’ funny and we’re constantly plotting prank-”

Shiro raised an eyebrow.

“ ** _I MEAN_** he’s really funny!!” Pidge stammered quickly. “Like, he hasn’t gone without making one sarcastic comment about everyone here, but like, Lance gets them out loud because he’s just that terrible.”

“You’re kidding. Keith hasn’t cracked a smile since we got here. What kind of humor could he possibly have?”

“Uh, _yeah_ , he _has_ , _loads_ of times; and a really good one. He calls Galrans evil Zubats, and he sends me hilarious pictures all the time just out of the blue, so…”

Shiro was taken a little ways aback. Were they really talking about Keith, Keith? Keith _Kogane?_

~

“Alright so like, I know Keith and I are always trying to one-up each other, but the dude’s actually pretty chill when you get down to it.”

“Oh, come _on_.”

“Really! He might not have a fashion sense himself, but then like- he actually sometimes admits mine is pretty great, and then like- he never steals any ladies of mine because he’s gay, so that’s cool, and-”

“So what you’re saying is Keith’s only beef is with me??”

“Err, come again?”

Shiro let out a quiet noise of annoyance. “Not you, sorry, no, I’ll just- I’m going to go. Thank you, Lance.”

“What’re you like, pining after him or something?”

Shiro stiffened. “No, I’m just- I’m just trying to get a handle on him.”

Lance smiled slyly. “Oh dude, you so totally like him.”

“Lance,” Shiro sighed, trying to ignore the subtle heat spreading in his cheeks.

~

Shiro retired to his room for the evening, his brow furrowed in thought. Did this mean Keith opened up to everyone but him? That he could find common ground with everyone some way or another, but that Shiro was the only one who wasn’t allowed past the shell? It irritated him, but also made him feel painfully guilty. When did everyone catch the train to the real Keith he missed?

_Why won’t you just let me in?_

Shiro tried to think of where he went wrong in the beginning. He had _tried_ friendliness and understanding, and it hadn’t worked! What was the secret everyone else had obtained that had Keith actively coming to _them_ for friendship; instead of the other way around as it seemed Shiro was having to do, and then failing at?

Shiro ran his hand through his hair and thought back at their relationship. They only connected on a few things. Their will to help others, their hatred for each other, and…

Oh.

Shiro could work with that.

-

Shiro knocked roughly on Keith’s door.

To his slight surprise, Keith soundlessly opened it.

Shiro took a breath and looked at Keith. He had in fact been out of the room that day, but they had somehow avoided each other, and this was the first they had seen each other since their latest fight.

Keith had bags under his eyes and he might have been slouching slightly. Overall he looked mildly annoyed, but still curious as to what Shiro could want at 5:46 in the morning. Thankfully, he had been up.

In one fluid movement, Shiro’s hand rose and cupped Keith’s face, and he met his lips. Keith was surprised and it shocked him entirely awake, but he immediately grabbed the nape of Shiro’s neck and pulled him into his room.

“What do you want…?” Keith said breathlessly, but still with that ever-demanding edge.

Shiro gently but firmly guided Keith to the wall and pressed him against it, kissing him again. His hands snaked down Keith’s sides and to the rim of his pants, continuing to gently rock into him, in both attempt to encourage him to keep on the wall as well as hopefully excite him. None of their… interactions… had started intentionally, so this was something Shiro was trying to think quickly-but-carefully about.

Keith inhaled sharply. Having been distracted by Shiro’s mouth, he didn’t notice his pants being fumbled with until Shiro’s hand was in his underwear, trying to retrieve his cock. He looked down as Shiro gently pulled it out, stroking it in the process. Keith purred and pressed against Shiro before catching himself.

“What’re you doing?” He said curtly, placing his hands on Shiro’s chest and looking at him in the eye.

“Consider it a bribe,” Shiro hummed back, his hands still busy.

“I don’t take bribes.” Keith replied, not moving from his spot, however.

“Well it’s just an offer. You can take it or leave it.” Shiro said, pressing against Keith and revealed that his hands had been undoing his own pants, and that now there was absolutely nothing blocking either of their erections from each other. He pressed them together and gave a single stroke, causing sparks to circuit through both of them before he pulled gracefully away with a knowing smirk.

Keith had quite the irate look on his face, disliking the game Shiro was playing; mostly because it was working. He only thought a moment before pulling the taller man back in by the vest collar. Shiro tried not to grin at his success as Keith pulled his head down and bit at his lips hungrily.

Keith’s hands fell and rested on Shiro’s hips, pulling them forward and whining when their members collided. Shiro grabbed hold of them again so they remained against each other, pushing against Keith and releasing a noise in his throat. It was from then things quickly escalated.

In a strange and awkwardly consented event (“please turn around” “why? Are you going to fuck me?” “Well, yeah” “alright then”), Keith was pressed up against the wall stomach first with Shiro behind him, and, well, _inside_ of him as well. Keith wasn’t quiet, and Shiro wasn’t slow. He managed to perfect a long and fluid motion that pushed up on every inch in Keith into quick jolts, making the sensation all the more exhilarating. Keith was grabbing at the wall, gritting his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut, mustering everything not to just cum everywhere already. He really didn’t have any idea how this worked, but weren’t you supposed to not cum quickly or something?

This only lasted 4 minutes, however, before Keith couldn’t hold it any longer, and it didn’t help with the butterflies constantly reminding him of who was doing the fucking. Keith let out a loud and high pitched cry as he pressed himself harder on the wall and spilled, riling Shiro up and causing him to let go as well, getting a whole series of different bubbly noises from Keith that were almost too cute to handle.

Shiro, panting and leaning slightly into Keith, slowly pulled out and began placing kisses up and down Keith’s neck, collarbone, and shoulder. They were gentle and wet, and they made Keith stop in his tracks and just hold still against the wall for a good minute before he felt a sob catch in his throat.

Shiro was something that had screamed “not good” in Keith’s brain from the get-go. But then, Shiro wasn’t what Keith had labeled him as. Shiro was respectful, and kind, and thought of other people. That this is why Shiro had been so desperate for Keith to just accept him, because he wanted Voltron to form so he could _save others_.

Shiro was welcoming, and did not expect people to bow down to him. He didn’t expect much in general, actually. Just because he was the head and had leader qualities, Keith’s fear equated him to something he had seen throughout his life and known to fight, when Shiro wasn’t like that at all.

And in turn, Keith began to find himself unworthy of Shiro, because of how he was fighting him. Because he was treating a good man like every other pretentious dick, and the other paladins began to think Keith was arrogant and selfish. Or, he thought they were, anyway. So he pulled himself away, convincing him that they hated him because he fought a good man.

And what’s worse, is when Keith began to admire and fall in love with Shiro. Because he knew he was wrong, but feared he was in too deep and everyone had already hated him, including Shiro, and there was no pulling himself out of this. So he began to hate Shiro more, indirectly, because he hated Shiro for making him feel this way.

It was all so new, and the outcast coyote couldn’t quite figure out how to deal with it all at once. Each paladin had their own charm Keith could enjoy them for (even Lance…) But then Shiro was the blockage he couldn’t relate to, and it made him pull quickly away from everyone and everything because he didn’t know how to deal with it.

A thorn among the flowers.

Shiro paused and kissed his way to turn Keith’s head to look at him. “Are you ok?!” He demanded, concerned and beginning to regret everything that had occurred.

“I-I’m sorry… I’m sorry I’ve been such an asshole… I’m sorry I’ve been preventing Voltron… I’m sorry you have to deal with Allura breathing down your neck… I’m sorry I made you think you had to do this… I’m-”

Shiro turned Keith around and hugged him close, kissing his cheek and his ear and then into his hair, gently shushing him.

“Keith, you’ve done nothing wrong. Quit being a lone wolf and taking the blame for everything.” Shiro said with a faint smile, mirroring Keith’s words from weeks before.

Keith blinked tears away and looked at Shiro, hundreds of thoughts racing through his brain about what had happened, what was happening, and what would happen. None of them prepared him to blurt out “I don’t hate you.”

Shiro blinked. “What?”

“I don’t hate you… I never did. I hated how you weren’t what I labeled you as, I hated how amazing you actually were, and then I hated how I treated you. I didn’t know how to deal with all of that. But I never hated… _you_.”

Shiro smiled softly and kissed Keith’s forehead. “It’s getting to be wake-up time for everyone. We should probably clean up and get dressed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Moment of silence for my inability to write smut (^◇^；)
> 
> Hang tight, next chapter's the last! Thanks for sticking with me, and I hope you've enjoyed!


	7. 20th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally!
> 
> Just the sweet wrap up for this little fic. Short and simple, but I didn't want it to be in the 6th chapter.

Shiro took a deep breath. This would mark the 20th unsuccessful forming of Voltron if they failed. They were losing terribly with the lack of ability from their lions, and the castle had to pick up a lot of their slack, resulting in unnecessary damage to it.

He squeezed the handle of a clutch. “Alright guys, let’s give it a go.” Shiro closed his eyes and focused.

A new noise was heard to the left of his lion. It encouraged him to open an eye and look, but nothing looked different-

The black lion rumbled and then lurched forward before rising into the atmosphere. The head raised and sat back on shoulders that extended from forepaws, and then suddenly a condensed version of the green lion had its nose pointed to the ground and was positioning itself at the left socket. The red shortly followed in the right, and then suddenly there was added weight on the black lion’s haunches, which had now taken the shape of hips.

Cheers were heard from all angles as not just the paladins, but the princess and Coran whooped and hollered with happiness as the 100 meter robot’s face dropped down from the black lion’s jaw. Shiro exhaled, smiled, and then let out a triumphant shout of his own.

“We did it, guys. We formed Voltron.”

Just as he clicked off the main speaker, Keith’s intercom buzzed in.

“Hey Shiro, thanks for not giving up on me.”

Shiro smiled again.

~

It was later in the night than Shiro should have been awake, but he was too excited to sleep, so he was sitting outside watching the sky and getting lost in his thoughts. They were interrupted abruptly when a clean crisp word broke through the atmosphere.

“Hey.”

Shiro turned just in time to see Keith walking over and sitting down beside him.

Keith sighed, and then turned to Shiro, brows furrowed.

“Look, Shiro, I….” Keith sighed again, and looked away. His face relaxed a bit, but it wasn’t as though he was calming down, but moreover switched emotions. “What happened last night…”

“Was nothing, I know.” Shiro said, raising a hand and then throwing Keith a knowing smirk.

“What? No, that’s… that’s not at all what I was going to say.”

Shiro’s face slipped into mild surprise coated with curiosity.

“Shiro, I… I know it isn’t reciprocated but, what happened last night… it wasn’t… it wasn’t emotionless, right…?”

Shiro raised an eyebrow.

Keith huffed and shifted the way he was sitting. “Well, it wasn’t emotionless for me. I just need to know if it was for you.”

“No.”

Keith looked at Shiro again.

“It wasn’t emotionless.”

“Us being in a real relationship would be crazy though, right? I mean, look how long it took us to get to here.” Keith let out a single laugh.

Shiro shook his head. “It’d be crazier if we admitted something was here and then ignored it. I think it would get worse, in all honesty. Keith, we don’t hate each other. We hate what we labeled each other as, and therefore had trouble understanding when something didn’t fit in the box.”

“You-?”

“I thought you were some sort of idiot delinquent, to be quite honest. But you’re not. You’re brave, you’re loyal, you’re quick and cunning, and you can even be a little kind when you want to.” Shiro poked at Keith and was rewarded with a slight smile. “So we were both wrong. And we both fought off the idea that either of us could be something more. But look, you’re something I admire. You’re someone with drive and courage in spades that I work every day to achieve a fraction of.”

“How can you say that? Shiro, you’re the most born-leader, strong, courageous person I’ve ever met. You do twice the job as me, if not more, and-”

“I worked for that. You do it so fluidly, like it’s your native language and I’m the one who’s been slacking off in the class.”

Keith looked at the ground between his shoes. Shiro looked at Keith’s face for a minute, and then scooted closer.

“I like you, Keith. I like a lot of things about you, but I like _you_. I was working so hard to change you, to fit you in this mold, and you stayed true to yourself.”

Keith didn’t say anything, but Shiro kept a steady gaze. In a motion as gentle as a butterfly wing, Shiro leaned in and kissed Keith on the cheek.

“Don’t ever change.” Shiro murmured against Keith’s skin.

He kissed again a little to the right, and then a little lower down before pulling away so he could sit right against Keith’s hip.

Shiro wove his arm around Keith and planted another kiss on his forehead. Keith leaned into the kiss this time, eyelids fluttering as he turned his head and felt as a line of kisses continued into his hair.

“Let’s actually do it right, this time.” Shiro breathed. “Let’s start over and work with each other instead of against.”

“What, no more angry fucking?”

Shiro laughed and nuzzled his nose into Keith’s hair. “No more _angry_ fucking.”

“Ooh~” Keith teased, bumping their shoulders together and causing Shiro to laugh heartily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking through! Hope you enjoyed! Stay tuned for more sheith bs because we all know I've got more ideas >:3c


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